All eyes were on Champ Car title protagonists
Sebastien Bourdais (#2 McDonalds Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and Bruno
Junqueira (#6 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) on a brilliant Saturday
in Surfers Paradise, Australia as the two fought for the pole for Sundays
Lexmark Indy 300
source:
whowon.com
But despite the watchful gaze of a Saturday-record 85,741 fans following all the
action of the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford, a
man who knows every inch of the 2.795-mile Surfers Paradise circuit crept in and
vanished with the top spot for Sundays race.
Defending series champion Paul Tracy (#1 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone)
stole the show on a sunny Saturday, posting a top lap of 1:33.556 (107.551
mph/173.085 kph) to earn his first Surfers Paradise pole. The pole was the third
of the season for the defending Champ Car titlist as he capped a furious
late-session duel with the days best lap.
The veteran Tracy joined the championship hopefuls in a game of leapfrog that
saw each member of the trio hold the pole during a span of two minutes. Bourdais,
who had spent half of the session watching things develop from Pit Lane, climbed
to the top on just his third lap, only to be bounced shortly after by Junqueira.
The Brazilian held the top spot for less than 30 seconds before Tracy hung his
best time on the field.
Junqueiras late run capped an eventful session for the Newman/Haas Racing
driver. Determined to put in a run without having to worry about traffic,
Junqueira led the field on track as soon as the green flag flew on the 35-minute
session. He got up to speed right away, vaulting to pole on just his fourth lap
and would hold the position just long enough to see his best lap of 1:33.737
(107.343 mph/172.751kph) register on his dashboard, but then watched it
disappear as Tracy leapt to the top.